How To Keep The Kids Entertained During Your Move

Packing up your house and moving is stressful enough without having to deal with fussy kids. Make the move easier on the whole family by being prepared with some fun entertainment. (And beer. Don’t forget the beer.)

Make Packing Fun

Packing boxes is pretty boring, even for adults. Make your packing process more bearable with these creative ideas.

Turn It into a Game

You’d be surprised how enthusiastically kids get involved when you take a dull task and turn it into a friendly competition. And who doesn’t jump at the chance of beating their brother or sister at a game? Set your kids a challenge to see who can pack their room up the fastest and watch how quickly the boxes are filled. Just be sure to supervise to avoid having the pet guinea pig wrapped up in a box of clothes.

Get Decorating

Give the kids some crayons, stickers and creative freedom, and they’ll be busy for hours designing fun boxes to pack. This will also make it easy to identify which box belongs to who in your new house.

Create With Cardboard

Let’s face it: kids can be even more of a handful when they’re trying to help. If your little ones just get in the way when they lend a hand, keep them occupied with cardboard and bubble wrap. Building a fort or a bus out of boxes will keep them busy while you knock over the important stuff.

Make the Drive Fun

After a long day of packing and cleaning, the last thing you want is to hear “Are we there yet?” from the backseat. Keep the kids entertained on the car ride to your new home with these tips.

Car Karaoke

Make a playlist of your kids’ favourite tunes and take turns singing a track each. Your kids should tire themselves out and fall asleep during dad’s rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Play Car Games

No, we’re not talking about I Spy or the numberplate game. They only take you so far. If you’re on a long drive, you need a fun game that lasts, like the Geography Lesson game. Players have to choose a country, city or state that begins with the last letter of the first person’s location. For example, the first player could say “France”, and the next person would have to say a location that begins with the letter “E”. They could say “Egypt”, and the next person would have to say a location that begins with “T”, and so on.

Make Unpacking Fun

Hide Treats in Boxes

How do you motivate your kids to unpack their boxes quickly? Good old-fashioned bribery, of course! Hide surprises such as toys or chocolate for your kids to find as they empty each box. And maybe some wine for yourself.

Pull Out the Craft Supplies

Your kids will love making signs for each family member’s new bedroom. It will keep them busy while you get the house organised while also making them more excited about their new home.

Draw a Floorplan

Get your kids to draw a floorplan of their new room and map out where they’d like their furniture to go. This will help them feel in control in a time of big change and help them transition more smoothly.

Now you’ve got the kids under control, make sure you’re not forgetting anything with our handy moving checklist.

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